Always Wish for More Wishes
by girly tomboy
Summary: Sougo figured what with the whole genie-wishing business, everything would have been a bit more... compromising, he guessed? Never in a million years had he thought he would ever get stuck with a snot-blowing, possibly brain-dead China girl as the divine spirit tasked with making his most desired wishes come true...
1. First Wish

Technically, anything goes in fanfiction, so...

* * *

Always Wish for More Wishes

Chapter 1

* * *

Sougo sighed as he watched the young man grovel before him. His voice was quavering and the poor guy seemed to be on the brink of tears.

"Hand it over, thief." If it were any other day, the Captain wouldn't have spared him another glance. Unfortunately, Hijikata-Bastard was particularly out to annoy him that day, seeing as he was stuck patrolling the palace while the rest of the Royal Guard- the higher-ups, anyway- had the fine luxury of escorting the Sultan to the neighboring nation on his annual trip to his sister's kingdom.

"I-I have a family to feed! My wife-! She's... She's alone with the children, you have to spare me!" Sougo's naturally stoic demeanor didn't even shift, the dangerous glint of his sword still pressed to the peasant's neck. The man, no younger than his mid-thirties, donned only a ragged shirt two sizes too large and a pair of baggy pants. Sougo mentally counted all the patches he spotted, the areas of cloth obviously sewn on indicative by the contrast in shades.

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you strayed toward the path of crime, thief." Sougo inched his blade closer, to the point where any further would nick his skin. He felt particularly ruthless that day, the abrupt call to house-sitting having left him in a foul mood the entire morning. He was wasting precious nap hours, damn it.

"So you gonna hand it over or what? I have the power to execute you right here and now if you don't comply," he threatened, dull eyes momentarily blazing crimson. The thief cowered. A pair of fumbling hands instinctively made their way into loose pockets.

 _'Man,'_ Sougo thought. _'I just really like to mess with people.'_

"I-I'm begging you-!"

" _Now._ "

Sougo's voice took on a threatening tone, having shed his nonchalant lilt for a sharper, biting edge. The promise of unforeseen danger was so prominent that even a petty thief could grasp hold of such a palpably malicious aura.

The man swallowed hard before hesitantly procuring the paraphernalia he had been vainly attempting to hide within the folds of his pockets, and offered it with trembling hands. Sougo's brows furrowed when the item glinted in the morning sun, bemusement immediately washing over his previously sinister demeanor.

A golden lamp sat delicately on his palm.

"Where did you find that," he more demanded than asked.

"E-Eh... T-Treasury..."

" _The_ treasury?"

"... There's only one treasury..."

"I don't tolerate any snark, thief." Sougo flicked two fingers up, and the man was suddenly hefted up in officers donning similar attire to their First Division Captain, his body jerking in futile resistance. He shouted a desperate protest, despite it falling on deaf ears.

"Take him to the dungeon and let him go by sundown," the sandy-haired officer murmured to a nearby guard. "I'll spare him, the guy was harmless," he said, before turning on his heels. _'My precious nap awaits me, after all.'_

Sougo briefly turned the lamp over a couple of times, skepticism dragging his mouth into a small frown. The scripted engraving on the bottom was illegible, much to his annoyance, and he thought wryly that the thing must have been fake gold anyways. He tucked the lamp into his vest and retreated into the hallways. The sweet promise of deep slumber awaited him ever so, and he made sure to curse Hijikata's very existence the entire trip to his bedroom. He supposed there was _one_ perk in staying, after all.

"Oh? I heard you apprehended a thief, Captain?" Yamazaki's blithe voice interrupted Sougo's established rhythm, the latter pausing to address his fellow officer. "He was a lousy thief; I caught him red-handed, in the act. I was just going to return what he stole to the treasury." Minus the part about returning the stolen item to the treasury, of course. Clearly, his beauty sleep was much more important than some precious treasure of some beloved Sultan. But then again, he figured, he was getting paid, so...

Sougo procured from his pocket the lamp and flashed it at a curious Yamazaki, who stared at the object for a good amount of time before his eyes lit up in excitement. The latter started to bounce on his heels.

"Captain! Isn't that a magic lamp?!"

"... Huh." Sougo halted in his steps. Notwithstanding his desire to nap like he so wanted, the notion of a magic lamp slightly piqued his interest. In its incredulity, that is.

"A magic lamp? This isn't some fairy tale, Zaki. What, are you going to say some genie's gonna pop out and grant me three wishes next?"

"That's exactly what they'll do, Captain." Yamazaki beamed. "Oh, but, it's the Sultan's right? Yeah, you should return it."

"Yeah, sure," Sougo dismissively waved, though his voice held no conviction in it. He continued his pace, until he entered the Royal Guards' sleeping quarters. The lull of footfalls continued as he made his way down the winding halls, until he came upon the familiar sight of his bedroom door.

A snick of his wrist later and the man was snuggled within the confines of his blanket. With shoes kicked off unceremoniously, outer uniform shed, and sleeping mask readily in hand, Sougo was the epitome of laziness and pure, sadistic corruption. The notion made him smile.

"Magic lamp, huh... That's bullshit." Indeed, aside from the thing having been in the treasury, the lamp itself possessed no outstanding features. A chipped handle, dull coating, and some inconspicuous dent decorated the paraphernalia. Sougo's meandering gaze found nothing inimitable about the lamp, and with a sigh dropped it beside him on the mattress.

 _'Impossible,'_ he thought as his eyes drooped and he fell into tranquil slumber.

* * *

"Oi, wake up, you nasty ass shit rag."

Visions of dancing handcuffs, nipple tassels, and the occasional whip were chased into impeding darkness as Sougo groggily blinked his eyes open. The sudden assault on his ears had rudely awakened him, and much to his irritation, he couldn't for the life of him identify whose voice it belonged to.

Or why it was female.

"W-What..." Crimson eyes met blue ones as he reveled upon the fact that he was indeed, two inches away from a girl he had never seen before. In his bed. Half-naked.

"Condoms are in the drawer to your right, by the way."

Smooth, Sougo. Smooth.

"If I wasn't trapped in this stupid lamp, you'd be dead by now, punk." The female-ish thing (at least, that was what he assumed) drily tutted. Her bright, vermilion hair contrasted with the dim lighting as she shook her head. "Of all people..."

"I should say that to you. One minute I'm sleeping and the next a concubine trespasses onto my property. Have some manners, will you," Sougo deadpanned. The stranger immediately raised her fist and growled, though he didn't even bat an eyelash. They stood- or rather, laid at a deadlock for what he counted to be nearly a minute, before she sighed and plopped onto the bed again. Her words started to process in his sleep-addled brain.

"Wait."

"Don't tell me to fucking wait."

"You said you were trapped? In the lamp? As in, trapped in the lamp? As in-"

"A genie. Yeah." She interrupted. "No shit, Sherlock."

Sougo instantly propped himself up, curiosity in his red orbs as he took to observing her lithe form beside him. "So Zaki was right... huh. Interesting." If some part of him was supposed to be shocked at such revelations, apparently it didn't make itself evident, seeing as the sheer fascination at such an entity lying so close to him far outweighed any previous concerns he may have had.

"So can you grant any wishes?"

"Mm. Maybe. Who knows."

Sougo frowned.

"Don't be like that, China. Help a sadist out, would you?" He took note of the ornaments on her head, hence the reason he had dubbed her China. Apart from the zany vermilion hair, she reminded him eerily of the dainty women he had seen dancing in the Asian festivals on a plethora of their visits with the Sultan. She looked and played the part of a foreigner exactly.

Well, except for the lack of feet, as her body seemed to taper off the lower it went, until it disappeared altogether within the recesses of the lamp. She yawned while simultaneously sticking a finger up her nose, unhindered by Sougo's disgust. He gagged when she took her pinkie out and sniffed it.

"Oi, rule number one, China."

"Don't call me China."

"Don't dirty my bed. Rule number two, no touching. Rule number three, obey my every command like the good genie you are. Simple, right?"

"Hah?!" She bolted upright, outrage washing over her face. If he wasn't so amused and... Sougo-like, he would have possibly considered recoiling in surprise at the outburst.

"Yes, yes, I'll buy your collar afterward," he chirped, before patting her on the head. "But for right now, granting my wish will have to do."

"Who said I could grant wishes?! And it's Kagura, by the way!" Kagura was absolutely livid. The angry flush on her cheeks almost matched the shade of her hair, and by the looks of it, someone was about to get strangled right then and there. Sougo had an inkling he knew who. "Ah, geez, you're so loud... Well, if you can't grant wishes, what the hell are you doing here?"

"You're the one who summoned me," Kagura deadpanned. "And how dare you call me useless, stupid punk Chihuahua. You're looking at one of the most powerful djinn of the spirit world here. Nothing is impossible for one such as I," she formally declared, though he had trouble believing her in the midst of her swearing him out with the vocabulary of a retarded log just moments prior. _'The spirit world sure needs to get its shit together if one of their most powerful spirits can't even get out of a_ _damn lamp.'_

"So you just admitted it. Liar."

"Huh?"

"..."

"..."

"YOU TRICKED ME YOU BASTARD!"

"You were just stupid enough to get tricked, China," Sougo rebutted. And then promptly got socked in the face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING."

"WHAT ARE _YOU_ DOING. THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT. YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER."

Sougo shook his head in irritation. "LAWYER MY ASS. EVERYONE KNOWS A GENIE'S OPINION IS WORTH A THIRD OF A REGULAR PERSON'S. A FIFTH IF IT'S SOME LOUSY, BRASH CHINA'S."

"EXCUSE-"

"Um, Captain." A muffled voice from the other side of the door halted their altercation, sounding a bit too cautious for Sougo's liking.

"Zaki, what do you want? I'm busy." He half stated, half shouted. There was a muted shuffling before Yamazaki hesitantly spoke up, uncertainty laced in his tone.

"I-it's against policy to bring someone of the opposite sex into the men's sleeping quarters, and-and, well... I don't want to intrude on you, b-but we're all required to follow protocol so..."

"I KNOW YOU HAVE SOMEONE IN THERE SOUGO. OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW."

"SOU-KUUUN! MY PRECIOUS BOY, ALL GROWN UP! DON'T FORGET PROTECTION!"

Oh. _Oh._

Sougo froze. There was only one voice in all of existence known to grate on his very nerves (though Kagura's was starting to ascend pretty high on the list) and render him absolutely powerless to the clutches of expired mayonnaise and tobacco, and that was his- much to his ire- superior and Vice-Captain of the Royal Guard. Hijikata Toshiro.

Ugh. They were back.

"WE'RE COMING IN!"

"Look what you did!" He violently whispered to Kagura, who's unabashed attention was focused on the door. Bemusement showed on her features, but there was no urgency nor alarm in her movements. In fact, the conniving thing took her leisurely time to stretch herself out.

"What're you staring at me for?" She looked up at him with wide, cerulean eyes. "A genie's opinion is worth a third of a regular person's, right? I could stay here all I want and no one would care. Right?"

 _'_ _This bitch_ _!'_ The flaxen haired man contemplated opening a window and jumping, only to realize that 1. He was at least 5 stories up, and 2. He was Okita Sougo, dammit. And Okita Sougo did not get worked up when women were involved. Or at least, whatever Kagura was.

"You got me into this mess, get me out of it. Go back into your lamp or something," he feigned nonchalance.

"Me? Mind you, _someone's_ a cuddler in their sleep... And no can do. Once a genie is summoned, they are no longer bonded to their original host. You're kinda sorta stuck with me now. Sorry. Oh wait, I'm not." A smirk tilted her lips upward, and Sougo was really starting to fancy that whole suffocation thing earlier.

"Stuck with you?!" He groaned in disbelief. "... How do I unstuck myself?"

"I'll grant your wishes, if only you'd set me free. That's the contract we'll agree on, yes?"

"Well how do I set you free?" Kagura must have been tired of his questions at this point, and frankly, he was too. But in the long run, he figured, it was better than having some weird genie-thing attached to him any second longer.

"SOUGO!"

Oh, crap.

"I'll explain later," Kagura said. Immediately sensing the sudden urgency and the threat to both her and most likely his job, she grabbed hold of his arm. "Say the word, punk brat, and I'll get you out of here."

"Eh, okay then. Get me out of here."

"Nicely, please."

Sougo rolled his eyes. "I wish, dear China of mine, that you'd please get me out of here. _Safely._ "

"Yes, yes," she replied, before waggling her fingers and grinning wide. "One escape, coming right up!"

One moment the crimson-eyed man was staring at her skeptically and the next he found himself outside, free-falling from a height that would surely, without a doubt, kill him. A sense of tranquil weightlessness surrounded him as he seemed to float in air, before the jarring rush of plummeting to one's doom quickly overtook that moment of frightening serenity.

"CHINNNNAAAAAAAA!"

"Oh, geez. Don't be such a pussy!" Kagura voiced from somewhere above him, her sound muffled by the howling wind. "Trust me on this one, yeah?!"

"NO."

"TOO LATE FOR THAT NOW." With a bellowing guffaw she spread her arms and legs out, very much like a starfish, and watched in satisfaction as they slowed to an eventual stop. The ground was still a far ways away from them, yet they stayed suspended in the air; Sougo nearly had a heart attack as his brain struggled to keep up with the events unfolding before his very eyes.

Not that he'd admit it aloud.

"Safety first," Kagura quipped. "Though if it were me, you'd be long dead by now..." she muttered underneath her breath. Sougo, however, heard her loud and clear.

"I'm like a foot away." He deadpanned. "I _can_ hear you, y'know."

Kagura brushed him off. "Lemme see... Choose your destination, sadist, and I'll get ya there in no time!" She looked at him expectantly, to which he faltered at the name she had dubbed him. "Um, how about that one?" He pointed at a two-story building on the very edge of town, where he knew sported an "Odd Jobs" banner. It was one of the only places he was familiar with in the capital, to be honest.

"I go there sometimes on my days off, and it'd be unlikely Hijikata-bastard would look for me there."

"Alrighty then!" Kagura clapped, and before Sougo knew it they were ascending and cruising through the air, some invisible channel of wind having lifted them up as they soared across the city. It was an odd feeling, no doubt, yet the latter took a second to revel in the cool air as he felt himself relaxing. He seldom felt so at ease before.

"Feels good, huh?" Kagura looked awfully proud of herself. "I'm a wind djinni too," she boasted.

"Yeah, sure. Okay. Anyways, China, since we're traveling at the speed of a dying turtle right now," he stopped to gauge her reaction, and mentally cheered when he saw her fuming, "About this wishing thing, what was that about setting you free?"

"Oh!" Kagura's already bright eyes glinted merrily. "Once a genie is summoned, they must stay by the summoner and grant their wishes. They get four, and the last one must be used for the benefit of the genie. Most people have been known to wish them free. Simple enough, right?"

"What if I don't want to set you free?" Sougo jolted as they picked up speed.

"I have five years to grant your three wishes and an extra year for the fourth one. If you fail to comply and the fourth one does not benefit me in any way, your other three will be negated immediately and whatever you wished for will return to its original state and I will be sealed for the next ten millenniums and relocated. The same goes for if you fail to grant me any last wish at all."

"It's a lot more complex than I thought it'd be, China," Sougo mused. Kagura paused in her explanation. "Eh, it's a give and take relationship. To prevent innocent spirits from landing in the hands of people like _you._ "

"Hey, what's that supposed to-! Actually, you have a point..."

"Of course I do. Anyways," she gestured below, where they hovered directly over the building Sougo mentioned earlier. "We're here," and with a flick of her wrist they were crashing through the wooden roof and onto the second story.

When the flaxen-haired officer came to, he was met with a settling plume of dust and debris. Footsteps sounded from nearby and then in the blink of an eye he was being hoisted up by a familiar, none too happy young man.

" _Sofa._ What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

He made a sound from the back of his throat, before relaxing in the latter's grip. "Danna. Nice to see you again. Put all of _this_ ," he gestured to the gaping hole. "On Hijikata's tab, if you will."

"Gin-san, are you okay?!" Another voice piped in, followed by incessant coughing. The dust had completely settled at that point, though Sougo didn't know whether the sight of splintered desks, broken china, and wooden debris laying miscellaneously around was any better.

"Yeah, yeah, just peachy," Gin sighed, before ruffling the shaggy, silver tuft that was his hair. One hand released Sougo's collar, yet the other stayed firmly attached to the wooden sword inconspicuously raised beside him. Similarly the young, bespectacled man approaching them had a grasp on his sword's hilt.

No Kagura in sight.

"Danna, Glasses," he acknowledged. A cursory glance around the room confirmed his suspicions that a certain vermilion haired, foreigner-esque genie had indeed, disappeared from his sight.

"Sorry to barge in on your day of lazing about and all," he started, and flipped a couch cushion over. Nope, nothing. "But have you seen a little Chinese girl with blue eyes around? I've come across a small predicament and now I'm stuck babysitting her for the day, y'see." Maybe she was in the bathroom? Ten thousand millenniums in hibernation should have taken its toll on one's bowel movements, Sougo rationed.

" _The_ Okita Sougo, stuck babysitting someone of the opposite gender? Who's a little kid to boot?" Gin snorted in disbelief. "That's quite domestic of you, don't ya' think?"

"What can I say," he shrugged. "Danna, I've finally met the masochist I've been looking for all these years, think it's time I put the Killer-Captain Sougo past behind me once and for all." He rolled his eyes, and mindlessly rummaged through the closet.

"Ew. This is the saddest conversation I've heard all day." Kagura blanched from somewhere above.

Sougo immediately drew his sword and slashed the lights, resulting in shouts of alarm from the two male residents. "Found you, Chinaaaaa."

"Took you long enough," she retorted in between large gulps of strawberry milk. "The beautiful and voluptuous Kagura here, at your service," she grinned.

"Hey! That's my strawberry milk!" Gin stumbled to reach her and was about to pull his precious carton away, when she hopped out of reach and landed neatly on Sougo's shoulder. She took a swig at the milk and burped right within earshot.

"Hey, punk, you know any good food places? Granting wishes sure drain my energy," she mused.

"Really now? Hadn't noticed," Sougo replied, only for Kagura to burp again, this time directly in front of his face. She then turned to face the cautious Gin and Shinpachi. "Yo, I'm Kagura, here to make _this_ brat's wishes come true! Speaking of which..." She held four fingers up and eyed the sandy-haired man knowingly.

A finger went down.

"You're down to three. Two, actually."

* * *

Yaay, I'm back for the first time in forever! **I apologize dearly for this strange mix of cultures but I really wanted to experiment with the Aladdin parody so...**

(thinking back, I could have just transferred the genie-lamp aspect into the Gintamaverse instead of the other way around... this would have made so much more sense..)

But anyways, sorry for the long wait, and this time I intend this to be a very light multi-chaptered fic after quite a lot of mental debate, so look forward to that! As for updates, I've been more active on my Tumblr so if you want to see more content, maybe check my blog out? It's linked in my profile, just in case. Also, I plan to continue with the stories I've put on hold only AFTER I'm completely done with this one, seeing as I can't multitask for crap. Enchanted Wonders and Seo's One-Sided Adventure are at the top of the list right now, with the possibility of me adding another chapter to Who Needs Love When You Have Blackmail (Technically the story is complete though).


	2. Second Wish

Whelp, here I am again...

* * *

Always Wish for More Wishes

Chapter 2

* * *

"So lemme get this straight," Gin started. "You ask for something... and she grants it?!"

Sougo nodded. "That's basically the gist of it. Right, China?" He swiveled his head to glance at Kagura, who merely brushed him off and continued to stuff her face with a cake she had the pleasant surprise of stumbling across. Namely in the Odd Jobs' kitchen. With a grumble, "I told you to stop calling me China," though of course, he ignored her with a blasé sigh.

"Say, China girl," Gin butted in. That annoyingly cheeky, almost constipated grin so idiosyncratic of him was planted firmly on his face. "How about you become my genie instead? Toss this loser to the side, yeah? I'm in desperate need of some money and more strawberry milk so it'd be a great help if-"

"No can do, old man," she replied around her mouthful of sugary goodness. "Genie-swapping is forbidden; I'm stuck with this guy."

"Gee, thanks." Sougo absentmindedly ruffled Kagura's hair, just to piss her off more than anything. He slowly heaved himself off the couch with a grunt before tugging his equally lazy spirit with him. "Well, it was nice catching up, Danna. We'll be going n-"

An obnoxiously loud bark interrupted him. Kagura's eyes immediately sparkled.

"China, dammit. _No._ "

"Sadist, _yes_."

Before he could even remotely protest he found her clinging onto the Odd Jobs' humongous beast of a pet the moment it bounded into the living room, cooing and laughing like a madman. Gin and Shinpachi stared in bemusement at the sight of a, for once, mildly flustered Sougo as he tried to reign in an all too ecstatic Kagura.

"You're acting like this is the first time you've seen a dog, calm the hell down!"

"I will not! Good boy, down." She pointed a finger as the command was addressed not to the fluffy canine, but to Sougo. He vaguely felt a vein pop. "China _,_ " he belligerently growled.

"Stop."

Kagura froze in her tracks.

A tense moment passed in which the innocent party stared at the duo curiously, Gin having already tamed Sadaharu- his name was mentioned somewhere in the midst of all the chaos. The officer heaved a sigh as he straightened his collar. The entrance was a mere ten feet from them, yet it never seemed so far before.

"Huh, you actually listened to me," he mused.

"What're you talking about?! You did this to me!" Kagura's words caught his attention, and when he glanced towards her direction, where he was met with the sight of the immobile genie. She had yet to move.

"I didn't do jack shit. Literally one word, China," Sougo deadpanned, though his attempt to mitigate Kagura's growing anger was futile. He swore the frustrated flush on her face intensified by nearly two shades.

"Exactly, one _command._ A genie's free will is rendered useless at their host's orders," she bit out.

Sougo's mood had never changed so fast.

"... Useless, you say?" A feral grin spread on his face, quicker than Kagura had time to process the full extent of his change in behavior. Oh, he could definitely use this. "So tell me exactly, and no bullshitting this time China, what happened to being one of the strongest spirits in the spirit world?"

Kagura gulped.

"S-Sou-kun," she immediately began to stutter. "Let's not be hasty, shall we? W-Why don't we all _get along_ and-"

"No, no, China. No can do. Not when you've revealed something ridiculously valuable," he held her chin up, carefully avoiding her teeth (mouth area in general) and began to ruffle her hair. "How 'bout you bark for me next time? I might actually give you a treat," he ended, and was about to continue when he felt a sharp pain in his gut. He gasped before crumpling to the floor.

The command had worn off.

Shit.

"Sou-kun," Kagura started, and with the way she was talking, Sougo really had to wonder who the actual sadist there was. "What was that about barking?" She leaned down to his height, eyes alight with fury and joy at the same time (a horrendous combination, he was soon discovering) and was about to aim her balled fist right at his precious, precious face when the door suddenly slammed open.

The scent of tobacco and the sound of tears quickly enveloped the room- or what remained of it, at least.

"Fucking found you, damn brat," Hijikata angrily puffed out. Attached to his leg was their sniffling gorilla of a Kondo.

"Toshi! Leave them be, a man should never be separated from his precious beloved! Nnnghuagg..." The pathetic whine he attached at the end failed to serve its purpose in swaying the tiny itsy bitsy Grinch heart of a certain Hijikata Toshiro as the former marched up to his fellow officer, cigarette smoke wafting through the entire place.

"You're on cleaning duty for the next three years, no if's, and's, or but's."

"Hijibaka you don't understa-"

"I understand perfectly well, Sougo. If I ever see a woman get the best of you again you're fired," he threatened, and the former tensed up in alarm, followed by irritation. A heavy silence lingered in the air, to which Gin and Shinpachi slowly started to back out of their own room, the former may or may not having just gestured for Patsuan to get their secret stash of strawberry milk on the way out.

Sougo clicked his tongue before quite childishly stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Just you wait, Hijibaka..." he muttered. "I'll get you one day... Just you fucking wait."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

He warily glanced at Sougo as their very much conflicted Commander escorted his subordinate out the door. Albeit awkward, he managed to pry his eyes away and face Kagura a moment later. _'Poor girl, doesn't know what she got herself into...'_

"Eh, um. Look, girl. Sorry about the short notice... but, um. You can't be near Sougo anymore... So yeah. Sorry about that. Um, well what can I say, there are plenty of fish in the sea... I guess." He subconsciously scratched the back of his neck, eyes directed to a suddenly very interesting stain on the carpet. "So, no hard feelings...? Marriage is out of the question too, by the way..."

When he looked up again, poor Hijikata Toshiro was met with the deadest stare he's ever received in all his decade plus years of being dubbed Demon Vice Captain of the Royal Guard. It immediately set every single one of his hairs on edge, much to his chagrin.

"Yeah, sure. Okay," Kagura deadpanned. "... I guess."

"Oh, yeah. Okay good, goo- Wait, 'I guess?' What the hell does that mean?!"

Silence.

"Oi," he bit out. "China brat, don't you think about-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Toshi. Well, I'll be off now." She jumped from her seat on the blue sofa and practically flew out of the room. Hijikata stood flabbergasted before hurling himself at the door after a split second delay.

She was nowhere to be found.

"Wha..." He dumbly peered around. Behind him, Gin's and Shinpachi's head popped out from the kitchen. A beat passed.

"You better hope she doesn't come back pregnant."

* * *

"What the heck's wrong with you people?" Kagura tutted, though Sougo had a hard time understanding with all the food stuffed in her mouth.

"No, no, I think that's just Hijikata. Must be from all the crap he inhales everyday." He paused. "And how'd you get here so fast?" The flaxen haired officer eyed his so-called genie suspiciously, to which she just swallowed the remainder of her cake and burped. Kagura blew it into his face.

"I'm a spirit, I can materialize wherever I want," she stated matter-of-factly. "Anyways..." A quick guffaw escaped her lips. "Pft, I can't believe you actually got put on kitchen duty! BWAHAHA!"

Sougo chucked his sponge at Kagura. It passed through her head and hit a nearby rack filled with china that looked at least five times more expensive than he was. The rack toppled over.

"Oops."

"... I'm not paying."

And if Sougo had known prior that this stupid, inconsiderate, everything-that-he-isn't (except for the sadism he knew she didn't even bother to hide) genie would fuck up his life in the span of mere hours, he would have never agreed to the whole wish-granting business.

"Are you regretting this decision right now?" Kagura did that infuriating thing where she de-materialized, very much like a ghost, and popped up again, usually centimeters too close to his face for comfort. "I hate to break it to you but," somehow her hands wound up rubbing his back in mock-sympathy as she languidly floated around him, "you're kinda stuck with me now."

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock."

"... So how about that second wish?"

The young officer liked to believe he was patient, he really did. But any second longer staring at Kagura's face left a disgustingly tight, frustrated clenching in his chest and the dire need to rip his own hair out. Wishes be damned-

Actually, he took that back. Wishes would be nice. Curse Kagura and her wish-granting power, like what actually dictated one to be an almighty spirit with such powers in the first place? Was there a registration line? Paperwork? Because if it were up to him only the most-loved and deserved should be worthy of such skills (really only him, actually).

"China, I swear, you're starting to get on my last nerves," he clicked his tongue violently and quite uncharacteristically, and was about to open his mouth again if not for the boisterous voice of the head chef. Her thundering footsteps soon reverberated throughout the entire kitchen as she came hurtling toward Sougo.

"HEY PUNK! WHO IS MANAGING YOU?! HOW DARE SOMEONE DAWDLE IN MY KITCHEN!" He distinctly felt more than saw the moment Kagura vanished back into thin, translucent air- which, he were to add, was a strange sensation in itself, and would have dwelt more on it if not for the quite large, quite tall, quite _muscular_ woman (although that last part was somewhat debatable) charging his direction. If not for the sword ban Hijikata quite rudely enacted on him the man would have surely unsheathed his precious weapon by then.

It seemed even his debauching good looks and renowned status as the best swordsman in all the kingdom (not to mention kinda sorta a _big deal_ as part of the Royal Guard) had little to no effect on the monstrosity of a chef on steroids, as he was easily spun around and thrust in the direction of the doorway, where a tea cart sat innocently waiting. "Stop talking to yourself, boy. You look like a lunatic. Is that what you are, kid? A lunatic?" She clapped once before yanking an apron over his head. "No matter, as long as you're an obedient one I'm not complaining." It was strange how the content of her words were far from malicious, yet the damn woman just sounded perpetually angry, like, all the time- a feat even Hijikata hasn't been known to perfectly pull off.

"OFF YOU GO, THE SULTAN WILL BE EXPECTING MY PAINSTAKINGLY PREPARED TEA. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE A DUMB ASS FISH OUT OF WATER OR I'LL SMACK YOUR PATHETIC EXISTENCE ACROSS THE DAMN CONTINENT."

He took that back. She was just vicious.

"Geez, someone needs to get laid," he muttered, and was instantly glad the marching cacophony of her heavy footfalls masked the insult he snobbishly directed at the tapering view of her back. Quietly he whisked the cart out and was soon on his way to the luxurious office (playroom, really) of their one and only beloved Sultan.

Not once did Kagura materialize beside him the duration of the trip, and with a sigh Sougo quickly resigned to the eerily lonely silence he was all too accustomed to once again.

* * *

"I apologize dearly for putting you through all of this trouble," the Sultan breathed out. Worry lined his features as he prepared to lower himself in a bow. Sougo was quick to decline however, a subtle urgency hidden underneath his typical layer of nonchalant passivity.

"No, no, there's no need for that, Great Sultan. I'm flattered by it, but really, I am not hindered in any way. In fact, this is a very rare occasion for me, so please be assured," he dutifully rebutted. A split second hesitation crossed over the Sultan's face before he relaxed and gratefully accepted the proffered cup of tea. A sigh of delight followed as he took a leisurely sip of the herbal drink.

"Very well, then. Please invite your Commander next time, I would very much like to have a conversation with him again. And Great Sultan surely sounds too formal, I would believe. Tokugawa Shigeshige is my name, you may address me however you like."

If Sougo wasn't already a pretty decent guy (in his opinion at least) he surely would have started contemplating his life choices already in the face of such a humble, pure, and angelic man. Aside from Kondo, there was only one other man who he owed such high respect to, and that Tokugawa Shigeshige just so happened to be one of them.

He barely opened his mouth to reply when the former let out an alarming, hair-raising gasp. One second passed after the other as the officer's brain went into overdrive watching the Sultan suddenly clutch in vain at his chest. Panic invaded every single one of Sougo's pores as he rushed to Shigeshige's side. He could handle choking or drowning; that much was instilled in him ever since he joined the Royal Guard. Poison was entirely different, however, as it seeped into one's very bloodstream and by the time an antidote would be ready would be far too late.

He was at a loss.

A sudden bout of wet coughing interrupted him as the Sultan clawed fruitlessly at the table first, then his clothes, then Sougo's. Incoherent gurgles riddled with spit and, much to the latter's horror, blood spewed from his lips. He had half a mind to call someone, anyone, and was in the midst of reassuring the beloved leader that help _was on the way, damn it_ when Shigeshige fell limp in his arms.

A second passed. Then two, three. Finally, a minute ticked by in which everything went still and the severity of the situation soaked into Sougo's very core. For the first time in years something foreign spiked in his blood, slithering up his spine and crawling underneath his skin-

Fear.

His astoundingly sturdy fingers found themselves searching for a pulse, any pulse as they roamed over his neck, then wrists, settling on his chest.

There was none.

All of a sudden Sougo wanted to scream. Idiot, what a fucking idiot, he chastised. The abandoned cup of tea soon found purpose again, all the way on the other side of the room as he flung it in the heat of the moment. Glass crashing and liquid spilling complemented the heavy, almost laborious breaths he heaved out as he fruitlessly grasped the Sultan's lifeless hand.

"China." He called.

"You ra-" She stopped short at the sight. A grimace quickly pulled at her lips, unease in her voice as she spoke, "I can't raise the dead back to life, if that's... what you're... wondering..."

"This is no time to get picky, China! Just do what I tell you and bring him-"

"And I'm telling you I _can't_!"

The desperation in her voice immediately shut him up. He didn't know whether it was pent-up frustration or his being difficult, but her words held a tightness to it he couldn't for the life of him pinpoint at the moment. Was it pain? Hurt?... Betrayal?

Kagura sensed the tension in the air, and intently observed Sougo as he brought his full attention back to the Sultan, who's diminishing warmth was not helping the situation in the slightest. The foreboding ubiquity of death and repercussion was so palpable he could slice it right in half with his sword. In a fit of rage the young man slammed his fist against the floor, as if that would reverse time itself, back to before the entire mess started. If only it was that-

"China, I wish time would go back to before the Sultan drank his tea."

"But-"

"JUST DO IT!"

Conflict passed over Kagura's features as her gaze flitted from Shigeshige to Sougo, then back to her own hands. The unbridled amalgamation of fear, anger, and hesitance permeated the room, and just to their luck, a pair of quick footsteps was heard ascending moments later.

Her head dropped in defeat as she waggled her fingers.

"One time reversal, coming right up."

Sougo blinked. Kagura was gone.

"I apologize dearly for putting you through all of this trouble," the Sultan breathed out. Worry lined his features as he prepared to lower himself in a bow.

"..."

"... Okita? Your face is quite pale, are you okay?" Sougo jumped, eyes wearily honing in on the Sultan's bemused ones as he glanced down at the very much warm, very much alive figure. "N-no, no, that's not necessary at all." Quickly, quietly, he composed himself and made a mental note to thank whatever deity granted him the gift of a, begrudgingly, useful genie after all.

"Do not worry about me," he uttered before making a show in smashing the cup of tea in his hand against the tabletop. He watched from the corner of his eye as Shigeshige's own pair widened when the liquid started to fizz.

"It seems you've got bigger things to worry about, my Lord." Sougo gracefully rose from his seat, a blasé nonchalance prominent in the lazy way he upheld himself. "I'd start with the head chef, if I were you," a sort of relieved emotion settled comfortably in his chest when he saw the Sultan nod in determination. The man was a natural-born leader if it took more than just poison to faze him. "Yes, of course," he started.

"Thank you for all the help. Your commander will be hearing great things soon, that I'll be sure of," Shigeshige promised with not so much as a wavering glance. Sougo nodded and bowed before edging toward the exit; he couldn't wait to leave (the guards were on their way, he was sure). The room left an odd uneasiness lingering in his gut. It was strange, the notion of him being the only one who witnessed the Sultan's assassination before his very eyes minutes prior was quite disconcerting indeed, and if he weren't _the_ Okita Sougo he would have sworn everything up to that point was just a particularly vivid dream- just part of his imagination, just like-

"Hey, no thank you? No 'Kagura, you're the absolute best, I owe you'? Rude much."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut up, China," and watched in benign (sadistic) amusement as her lips automatically shut. "It's been a long night and I'm exhausted, just lemme go to bed and stop complaining for once, yeah?"

She visibly fumed once more and suddenly lunged for his face. If not for the spontaneity of the action he would have whipped out his weapon, ready to go. Unfortunately however, Sougo soon found any type of counterattack near impossible as she gripped at his cheeks, thighs locked tightly around his arms and midsection.

"Ch-China! Get off me!" He tried to headbutt her. She nearly bit his nose off. For a girl so uncouth and brazen she was much lighter than he had anticipated. Either that or she just chose that moment to dematerialize again, if how his head went through her own in another attempt to shake the djinni off was any indication. "I swear I'll fucking-"

"You'll fucking what?"

Hijikata drawled, the action blowing smoke in both of their faces.

"Oh, eh, Hijikata-bastard? What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on the Sultan. We got an urgent call, why? What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Suspicion was clearly written on his face. Sougo glanced down, and honestly he would have felt the same seeing he was groping at literally air, Kagura having vanished long ago. The brat. "It's none of your business, Hijibaka. Anyways," he continued. The latter had half a second to dodge the blade chucked at his eye.

"As much as I want to kill you, I'm a pretty busy man right now." With the brevity and grace of a natural fighter he sheathed his sword and began to walk in the other direction. A stiff hand was the only thing he granted Hijikata as he made his exit. Much to his surprise, there wasn't much protest nor the usual threat to his position from the Vice-Commander.

He shrugged. "You can come out now, China."

"Oh thank goodness, Toshi's been breathing down my neck ever since he first saw me," Kagura blanched. Her body still tapered off at the end, Sougo noted, as she still remained translucent. Her shoulders slumped as she regarded him with a distasteful look. "Don't call him 'Toshi,' it sounds weird coming out of your mouth."

"I am a capable, able-bodied young lady. I can do whatever the hell I want."

"No," he rebutted. "You're a genie. _My_ genie, who grants _my_ wishes." If it was possible for her lips to turn down even further they just did. Sougo looked away though, and before either party knew it a comfortable silence had settled between them.

He was the one to break it.

"... Thanks, by the way..."

"... Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure," Kagura said, though her eyes drooped and from the corner of his own he saw her stifle a yawn. Sougo chose not to comment.

"Oh yeah," she started. "You're down to one for yourself," a lazy grin spread across her face as she murmured the next words absentmindedly, "I'll be counting on you," before she tapered from view once again.

* * *

Two more chapters to go! If you have any feedback on the story OR if you wanna pm me for any reason whatsoever (yes, even a good OTP cry fest) feel free to ^^

Until next chapter!


	3. Third Wish

Heyo, finally here with Chapter 3! One more to go! (This one's a bit longer this time).

* * *

Always Wish for More Wishes

Chapter 3

* * *

"China." Sougo called out. No response.

"China, this isn't funny. Come out," he tried again, and got similar results. This had been going on for a little over ten minutes now, and his patience was starting to wear thin. With a grunt he plopped down unto the warmth of his cozy duvet, and in a last attempted drawled out her name.

"Kaguraaaaaaaaaaa," because clearly, that was the second best thing- after talking crap about her, of course- when it came to annoying the wind djinni. _'Huh, how odd,'_ he mulled a second later, when still nothing happened. Crimson eyes darted to the abandoned lamp on the bedside table, its faded gold glinting in the small sliver of whatever light Sougo allowed through the semi-parted curtains.

"Worth a shot," he murmured, before reaching with outstretched fingers towards the item that started it all. Without even realizing he held his breath as he was about to rub the side of the lamp.

 _'1... 2... 3.'_

… Huh.

Nothing, nada, zilch. Not even a poof of smoke.

Sougo hoped to the deities above the damn genie hadn't gone and ditched him, otherwise he swore right then and there there would be hell to pay. Surely something of such caliber would have warranted a heads up? Warning? Threat, even? It hadn't even been a week and Kagura had already bailed; the nerve of that girl.

"I don't think my personality's that bad?" he mused to himself. "No, can't be. Okita Sougo's an angel, that would be impossible." In fact, if anything Kagura was the one to blame, what with her brazen, carefree attitude and penchant for irritating even the most purest of saints. So obviously, she was in the wrong here.

Right?

A knock on the door interrupted the man's thoughts. Somewhere along the lines of "I'm busy, go away"- the choice wasn't really that big- the door was busted open and all of a sudden he was being spirited away as he found himself before some large meeting room he had never stepped foot in before. Two of the Sultan's servants stood behind him and without another word bowed and pushed aside the looming mahogany doors.

* * *

Sougo blew the bangs out of his face. Hours ticked by as he mindlessly listened to the ramblings of the old geezers running the council. At some point long, long ago he had tuned them out, not by choice, but rather by necessity. Falling asleep in front of some twenty-something elite was certainly not the type of havoc he wanted to wreck. Plus the likely probability of the Sultan hearing about this was unbelievably high, he liked to presume.

"No, no, no, I keep telling you idiots that it is way too early," Matsudaira pulled out his fancy-shmancy gun he must have picked up on his Western travels, so did half the council as they too began to partake in activities that respectable figures way past their prime should never be caught partaking in. A table was flipped.

Not again.

"How dare you challenge us, Matsudaira Katakuriko! He will meet her! And that is the council's decision!" An old hag screeched from her place atop the podium. Literally, she was currently standing on top of her agenda notes.

"That's exploitation, damn hag! Corrrrrrruption! Trrrrrrreason! The kid's barely twenty!" Shots were fired, literally and figuratively, as Sougo had to duck multiple times to avoid the incoming bullets. A limit was reached, however, when mentions of Kondou and the Royal Guard was brought up, all none too friendly.

"Um, excuse me? I'll do it, you don't have to force me," drawled Sougo. He watched as whispers erupted throughout. Ranged from indignant harrumphs to celebratory cheers to expectant were the nonsense the elders began to spout at his compliance. As if the sudden reminder of his presence was an alarm that startled them awake. This was why he had no interest for the elite.

"Good, very well," the old woman spoke from earlier. Not even Matsudaira could protest as she clapped once in finality. The two men guarding the side doors took that as their cue, so did the rest of the council as the monotonous drone of dragging footsteps signaled the elders' leave.

"Come with me," she gestured to the side doors right around the same time they opened. A long hallway stretched for as far as the eye could see, until it receded into the cover of darkness and Sougo could no longer make out the difference between ceiling and floor. He hadn't even known the place existed hours prior, to be frank. "If this leads to the edge of Earth don't even bother because-"

"Quit yer yapping, will you. Geez, youngsters these days..." She was the first to hobble down the wooden path. Not so much as a glance was thrown Sougo's direction.

 _'That has got to be the most old-person thing I have heard anyone ever say.'_

After what seemed like ages of wandering mindlessly in the dark the elder slowed to a halt. Dull, luminescent orange filtered through the cracks of a door adjacent to them, carried between the wood and plaster being muted voices. One was distinctly higher-pitched than the rest, with none being familiar to the flaxen-haired officer.

"Okita Sougo, I presume? It is of the utmost honor to finally have the pleasure of meeting such a revered man as yourself. Please take care of me, I am in your hands from now on."

Oh dear. She was one of _those_ girls.

"Of course," albeit his words held little meaning. Complaining wasn't his style though, and whatever deal he had just signed with the devil incarnate was a bargain he intended to uphold.

A hand on Sougo's shoulder interrupted his thoughts.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" When he didn't react she still continued, her raspy old-woman voice coming out in a hushed whisper. "Her father is a famous general from the kingdom over. Play nice and we could get an alliance out of this." The gears were turning in her head.

"Oi, oi. I can see all the money shining in your eyes, old hag. Even an idiot can sense your greed from a mile away."

She huffed and eyed him with malignant intent. "Your enemies will eat you alive otherwise, boy. Just be grateful that assassin earned you the Sultan's trust, he insisted on awarding you for your service even while he's gone into hiding. We're expecting big things out of you and you better not-"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Sougo walked into the room where the long-haired, petite-figured woman sat. The shutting of the door muted the old lady's indignant protest. No matter, business as usual.

Being a healthy, young man with a killer face and equally killer swordsmanship had granted him access to a nth amount of privies reserved only for the elite, thus a potential marriage meeting in hopes of gaining whatever advantage the kingdom could have was certainly not beyond his comprehension. In fact if it weren't for Kondou's and to an extent Hijikata's reluctance to give their outstanding prodigy away, Sougo would have surely found himself restrained in the palace stuck pampering some foreign heiress in lieu of hacking down bandits, partaking in the occasional booze challenge, and napping the afternoon away.

Oh well. He just had to find another way to repulse whatever unlucky maiden he had been assigned to humoring for the day.

"Captain Okita, pleased to meet you." Even her voice revealed her sheltered, most likely privileged lifestyle.

"As am I," he bowed, and took a closer look at her face. Brown eyes, brown hair, pale skin, donning extravagant silk robes he doubted she could carry all on her eyes subconsciously roamed to the guards observing him in the back.

"Your room should already be prepared... Um-"

"Anzai Miiko. My grandparents were Oriental... please feel free to address me however you like."

"No worries, Anzai-sama." A voice sounding suspiciously like Kagura's chided him on his lax use of language. He paid it no mind. "My ancestors were Oriental as well, makes no difference to me."

If Sougo wasn't a dense, naive idiot when it came to romance, he could have heard the exact moment Miiko's heart began to race.

"V-Very well then, I humbly accept," and began to lower herself into another bow when a hand stopped her midway. "No need for that," he rebutted.

"Get some rest, Anzai-sama, and I will return in due time. Is this your first visit to our kingdom?"

She nodded.

"I have some ideal places we could visit. Is that fine with you?"

"Oh, by all means! I am sure I would love everything!"

 _'Of course, the last_ _person_ _who said that to me fainted in horror the moment she made contact with the trannies'_ _one and only Saigo Tokumori.'_ Sougo shuddered at the memory. He too was not exempt from the kamakko club's "special treatment." An eye twitched at the memory of such a horrific, quite masochistic decision.

"Captain Okita...? Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh. Nothing. Do not worry about it." As the flaxen haired officer straightened to his full height, so did his need for everything to be over already grow as well. "Well, I will be going now. I presume your escorts will take you to the guest quarters?"

"Yes, of course. I look forward to our date," she quipped with an innocently cheery smile.

"Hm?" At this point thoughts of sightseeing were far from his mind. "As do I." He bowed for added measure, and deftly slipped out of the dimly-lit room, back onto the hard surface of the winding hallway, and was intent on making his way back to his bedroom without, hopefully, any other unprecedented hindrance. Sougo smacked his lips.

"Blegh, all this nice-talking really dampens my mood..."

Much later, in the comfort of his private bedroom, Sougo called out once more in hopes of summoning his, for the majority of the last day or so, absent genie.

"Nipple-twisting, cum-spewing, dingleberry-eating-"

"You rang?" Kagura's grumpy voice cut the silence like a knife, and for once he actually allowed a sigh of relief to slip out. The person, eh, spirit actually, was more than happy to retort back to his oftentimes downright nasty insults. It was a breath of fresh air.

"Not really. Just wanted to stock up on my sadist-ness again before I go out on a... _date_." The emphasis on the last word was teeming with undisguised skepticism.

"I see. Have fun."

"Quite tame, are we now? Not gonna throw your lamp at me while cursing the fair maiden who stole your precious Sougo from you while you idled around?"

"No. Gonna sleep." Kagura actually had the gall to yawn afterward, her translucent body glowing even more faintly.

"Still?" She nodded. "You okay, China?"

The rare tenderness in his words was dulled somewhat by the added, "Sex life too rough for you?"

"Drop dead and burn in hell, Sadist."

"I'm afraid I'd have to see your fugly ass down there, so no thank you."

Ah, it was good to be home.

"... Tch, whatever. I'm a pretty busy woman, Sadist. I gotta go." A hint of boasting was laced in between as she waved him off. The genie hadn't even materialized into her human form and she was already leaving him, damn it. "Call when you need to make that last wish, m'kay?"

"Wait, before you go. Why didn't you come last time I called?"

"Oh, that?" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Granting wishes waste energy. You're lucky I was your genie otherwise any other spirit would have dropped dead from the exhaustion of that time reversal wish. One minute, one second, it still takes up my precious energy, you bastard!" Why did it seem like she was scolding him all of a sudden...

"Oh. My bad."

Kagura's face turned red. Her mouth opened, then closed, opened again, then closed once again. Shoulders slumped as her translucent form evaporated even further, no longer a palpable sight.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Well, bye. I'll be looking forward to that last wish."

"Mm-hm. I hope you have nightmares."

"I hope you jump off a cliff and die."

Sougo would have responded, but there wasn't any point in talking to air. The girl had already disappeared, and he was heavily favoring a nap as well at the moment. He sensed a growing distance when he talked to her, however short the conversation was, but refrained from voicing his concerns. They were bound to get over it, whether they wanted to or not. She was kind of stuck with him now. He suppressed a groan.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

"This tastes absolutely wonderful! What is it called?"

"Curry bread." Miiko took another bite of the pastry. So far Sougo had toured the palace grounds, and with little protest from her had taken the both of them into the town square. A festival of some sort was currently being held, and Miiko had insisted on exploring. That was new; the snobby elite he had come to know despised physical effort almost as much as unnecessary interaction with the commonplace folks.

Sougo couldn't help but count down the minutes as they went by. Luckily, the day had passed quickly enough and within a few hours the sun would set, thus would be the end to their "date"- at least for today. It felt oddly liberating; he had been verbally stifled all afternoon- what could you really say in situations like these?

"I had fun today! Are we going to watch the fireworks display as well?!"

"If you are up to it, I have no qualms." Damn, she knew.

"Right then, let us find a suitable place!" Enthusiasm flowed from every pore of her body as Miiko looped her arm around his. "Would you like a bite, Okita?" Before he could respond she was pushing the bread against his lips and he could do nothing more but bite down in an attempt for her to move. Soon the duo was rushing past the flow of people as the noble urged them toward the edge of the town square and to a set of escalating stone stairs. Just hours ago he had taken her up the steep hill and allowed her to view the landscape from the railing he knew no one ever frequented anymore.

When they reached the top he allowed a moment's rest for Miiko to get comfortable, then subconsciously pulled back into the shadows of the nearby foliage. She had taken to warming herself up around him, though the same couldn't be said for the flaxen-haired officer. If anything a young, beautiful noble prancing and frolicking around all day in a foreign nation with abandon was a perfect target for any potential assassin. Or so he liked to believe.

"Okita? It will be starting soon, why are you so far away?"

"Do not worry, Anzai-sama. I am perfectly content-"

"No you are not, obviously you would not have your hand on your sword if you were," she frowned and paced up to him. Disdain was etched in the way she folded her arms across her chest, looked pointedly at the worn scabbard at his side, began to pout when he did not remove his hand.

"Force of habit," though Sougo had no intention of letting go. Despite Miiko's suddenly close proximity, he had a feeling if he did things would go horribly, horribly wrong.

"Then," she leaned in closer. "How about I make you?"

Miiko's lips came into contact with Sougo's as she heatedly pressed her body against his.

There was a protest in there somewhere, he knew there was. But in that moment a searing heat flared in his chest as he found it hard to breathe. The tongue that shoved its way into his mouth was certainly not helping either.

Nor did the small, bitter pill that slid down his throat.

Immediately Sougo reeled, but by then his legs had already given out and his vision was starting to blur. The heat in his chest quickly burned to a scorching pain. Telltale signs of bile crawled a fiery trail up his esophagus as he barely managed a raspy groan let alone scream or even confront Miiko.

The bitch was smirking.

"Y-you... tricked-!"

She kicked him in the stomach. This time Sougo did actually vomit, just the unfamiliar sensation of heaving enough to make his head ache and his sight spin. Words were spoken, all unprocessed, as the towering figure of Anzai Miiko began to fade as well and soon enough, his world went pitch black.

* * *

"Um... Sougo?"

Sougo stirred. Bad decision. A sharp pain equitable to electric volts raced simultaneously to his temples as he shook from the strenuous effort of forcing his eyes open. An unintelligent murmur escaped his lips, attempts to rouse him failing.

"Yoo-hoo, pretty boy," the voice said again. More like taunted, in that very sarcastic, very annoying way he had come to know. "Ngghh..."

"Seriously, I'll smack the shit out of you if you don't wake up right now."

"Fuck off, China." Never before in the twenty-something years of his life did he mean something so much until this very moment in time. "Ungh, go away..."

"Kinda sorta stuck with me now, remember?" A cool hand found its way to his face, traversed down the expanse of his cheeks until it rested underneath his chin. With a gentleness too compassionate to be Kagura's he felt his head slowly inch up, until his eyes were adjusting to the darkness and vivid, ocean blue came into view. A blasé sort of nonchalance dusted her features, which actually irritated him more than it should have.

She whistled in awe. "You look like crap."

"Thank you for the obvious." He wasn't in the mood to deal with Kagura at the moment. Sougo kept telling himself, but when she began to sweep his bangs back and placed her hand on his forehead and did that habitual thing where she creased her brows and her eyes narrowed in concentration, he felt just a tad bit grateful for her presence, however annoying, and the fact he didn't have to endure everything alone.

Even if she had to see him in such a pathetic state.

"Hey, Sadist," her voice softened, ever so slightly. "I could get you outta here, just say the word."

Sougo considered. Gone before they even knew it. Scenarios formed in his head; he had no clue where they were, with no clue where Miiko had scurried off too either, so reinforcements were out of the question. For all he knew, he could be leaving the kingdom, or another addition to some sick human trafficker's collection, or everything could have been a ploy to get him away from-

"Okita, you're awake."

A sliver of light peeked from where Miiko had opened the heavy steel doors, just around the same time Kagura disappeared from view. Her attire had changed; she was no longer wearing the heavy robes but donned all black and had her hair tied. That infuriating smirk was still stuck on her face, unfortunately. The decision to avert his eyes in defiance or fix her with a death glare was mentally disputed, and in the end Sougo settled for wary, narrowed eyes in her general direction

"Ironic how the man who saved the Shogun gets poisoned a day after," she mused. "You can't escape, Okita." To make her point she dislodged the scabbard at her hip and rattled the blunt end against the chains attached his arms and legs. Of course, she made sure to playfully pat his cheek with the edge. He considered nearly biting the thing off.

"Bark for me, dog."

Sougo gathered every drop of spit the phlegm deity could bless him with and aimed the loogie at her face. It was the second-best thing he could afford with no weapon, no use of his limbs, and a quickly dwindling amount of patience.

The good part was he got it on her face.

The bad part was he was now gasping for air as she jammed her sword into his chest.

Not the brightest idea, he had to admit.

"You fucking disgusting piece of shit!" A kick to his face, for good measure.

Sougo's eyes crinkled in exaggerated amusement as he watched Miiko stumble around in search for a napkin. It seemed the royalty part had yet to be beaten out of her, which, fortunately, could be used to his advantage.

"Somebody! Get this horrendous thing off of me!" She yelled toward the slightly ajar door. One of her henchmen immediately sped in and used his own sleeve to wipe the spit off. The former watched everything unfold before him.

"You done yet, princess?" Sougo taunted. The henchman, also dressed in black, scurried off as Miiko sauntered forward and delivered another blow to his chest.

"Watch yourself, bastard," was spat out when she bent to his height and procured from the folds of her clothes a dagger. Its blade made contact with his throat as she leaned in and threateningly sunk the weapon in further. A vague warmth alerted the flaxen haired officer to the shallow cut on his neck as he felt the blood trail down and stain his collar.

"I'll ask you once," she spat. "Where the hell is the Sultan?"

 _'Interrogation, huh?'_ So that's what this was about.

"No idea what you're talking about."

"You bastard!" Miiko's eyes had taken a desperate gleam to them. Dainty fingers shook the more the cold metal sunk into his skin. Still, Sougo remained unyielding even as she hastily drew her sword from its sheath. "Where the hell is he?! If it weren't for you-! If it weren't for _you_ , we could have-"

"-Actually made a run for it instead of getting caught red-handed."

One moment Miiko was cursing Sougo out with every fiber of her being and the next she was knocked out cold and lying on the hard pavement. A newly formed bruise was protruding from the top of her head. "Geez, thought she would never shut up."

Kagura's disgruntled features popped into view as a toothy grin broke out on her face.

"Yo, Sadist." She even made a peace symbol with her hand. "Your queen has come to rescue you!"

Sougo felt the exact moment the chains binding him up came undone, felt the cry of relief in his protesting arms when he collapsed onto the floor in a messy, unceremonious heap, felt the same floor leave him as he found himself sprawled atop Kagura's back.

"Don't fall asleep on me, punk. You gotta see this." And then they were moving. Just the patterned clack of Kagura's feet echoed as they left the room and proceeded down a tiled hallway. Not long after Sougo felt them stop and the harsh change in lighting filtered his vision white. The picturesque scene of bruised, unconscious henchmen and destroyed walls, tables, and equipment had a tinge of pride surging through the young male.

"You did this, China?"

"Course I did, you probably would have killed everyone instead if I left you to your own devices," she reprovingly tutted.

"Hm, good job."

"Thanks," she cheekily smiled, before her expression turned serious. "So what are you going to do about her?"

"I'll..." He pondered on it, before sighing. The hard expression that was on his face softened as he directed his gaze at nothing in particular. "... probably leave her be."

"Won't that Sultan guy be at a risk?"

"Of course he will, he's the Sultan." Here Sougo paused. "But I recognize her father. Her name sounded familiar, realized I talked to her father when the Royal Guard had an escort mission a couple years ago. The guy kept fawning over his daughter, despite being a really well known war general. He said something about not spending enough time at home and how her mother had passed so they had to hire a nanny and all that. She's a good kid, probably just strayed somewhere along the way," he recollected.

"I see. Still, humans don't seem to take assassination attempts lightly," Kagura noted. "She'll eventually be framed as the instigator of it all."

"Really, you believe so?" If memory served him right, there had been only one person he knew who had touched the poisoned tea before him. "You did take out all of them, right?"

"Yup!" She blithely chirped. "From what I can see, this group, called the Anzai Rebel Association was founded barely a year ago and is run by that Miiko girl. I brought up the archives; their members extended only to the ones stationed here, and none of them have any real, note-worthy credentials. So far the Sultan's assassination was the only big crime they've attempted, and the organization's goal is to 'usurp the disgustingly corrupt institution and grant freedom for all,' was what she said in the interview. I don't even think they have any ties to the underworld, but for safety I sealed off all the exits and entrances before I pummeled these bastards to within an inch of their lives."

 _'This girl spends way too much time around humans...'_

"Underground too?"

"They can't get far, the entire headquarters is located on a single, uncharted island south of the adjoining kingdoms."

"And you had time to figure all of this out when...?" Sougo had to admit, he was a little bit proud. Not that he'd ever say that to her.

"Hey, aren't you gonna give me some props?!" Mock disbelief laced her tone. "Her your precious Kagura is, using up her reserved spirit energy to do you some favors and you don't even thank her?!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he waved off. This interaction between them was far too common for his liking, and he knew where this was going. "... Thanks, anyways."

"Mm-hm, your one and only!"

A grimace graced his features, even as he walked away to check on the bodies. A large one sprawled in the corner caught his attention. "Please don't say that ever again, you sicko. We're not married."

"YOU SAY THAT LIKE I'M A REPULSIVE MONSTER."

"Because you are." A hand reached down to pull off the black mask over the figure's head. Jackpot.

"Anyways, China." He deliberately paused for emphasis before tapping the person on the floor with his foot. "We're taking her back, she'll be the scapegoat."

"Who is she?"

"The damn chef that made the tea." Sougo knew there was something up with the demanding, quite irritating woman the moment he laid eyes on her. "And plus, she kinda pissed me off. Oh, don't worry about it," he quelled when the skepticism in Kagura's eyes became apparent. "The Sultan abolished the death penalty. I'm sure she'll do fine in prison." Hell, she looked like she came straight out of one the moment she approached him.

"Right, moving on. I've decided on my last wish."

Kagura stopped examining the chef's body to regard him with a hopeful look. "Really?! What is it?! Oh, no killing, bringing people back from the dead, and forcing people to fall in love, by the way."

"Shouldn't matter. I wish that... Anzai Miiko would forget all about the Anzai Rebel Association once she wakes up."

"F-forget... everything?"

"Yeah, everything. What, can't do it?"

"Why?" It was the first time Sougo saw true confusion written all over Kagura's expression. She, the girl who seldom had little to say (in most cases it came as an insult), was completely and utterly speechless.

"That girl, Anzai," he started. "When she tried to interrogate me earlier, I could see it in her eyes, in the way she fumbled with her weapon. She'll get eaten alive if she allows this to continue."

"You're awfully considerate."

"Hardly, it'll just be a pain in the ass when she goes after the Sultan again."

"So much that you would use your last wish for someone you barely know?"

"What bullshit are you talking about, China?" Sougo willed his stare to remain blank, though he doubted at this point Kagura would be foolish enough to fall for it. "This will make everybody's life easier. And plus, it'll put me at ease knowing some insane teenager isn't out there trying to destroy the entire monarchy system. Just be glad you don't have to wipe _everyone's_ minds." There was no way he was about to get all sentimental now. Kagura wouldn't understand; there were just some things that had to be protected at all costs, even if it meant completely crushing a young girl's spirit.

"What are you going to do about them then?"

"I don't know, anonymous death threats, maybe a forged letter here and there."

Uncertainty was plainly written all over Kagura's face, yet she still held her fingers up after an insanely pregnant pause. Cerulean eyes seemed to light up as knowing flashed across them for a split second. "...Uh, sure," she said before shrugging. "Your wish, not mine. Geez, humans are so weird..."

"Like you're one to talk about what's weird and what isn't."

Her eye twitched as she ignored him in lieu of saying the magic words.

"One memory loss, coming right up." Nothing happened, at least not directly to them.

Kagura's thumb and index finger curved to form a big, fat zero.

"Thanks for your service, please shop again! Or not, who knows!"

In a rare gesture of gratitude and something wholly foreign to Sougo he brought a hand up to affectionately ruffle the genie's hair. "Yeah, thanks... Kagura." She didn't shy away from the touch, nor did he end up with a sword lodged in his ass, so hopefully some semblance of his feelings were reciprocated. Probably.

"Mm-hm, Sofa!"

"... It's Sougo."

"Geez, I was just joking," Kagura huffed. A new sparkle of... hope? Excitement? What Sougo could only equate to joy glimmered in her brilliant irises as she whisper shouted her next sentences, "Hey, let's get outta here! My treat, it won't cost you a dime!"

"I don't see why not," he shrugged in response. "Though you'll probably have to take all these bastards with you. Don't forget the chef or the girl."

"Child's play!" Deep, deep within the recesses of Sougo's pitch black soul, something pulled painfully taut before settling uncomfortably in his chest. Believe it or not, he actually found her exuberant attitude at the prospect of finally getting freed was endearing, in a disgustingly cheesy way.

That was the only thought that filtered through the young man's mind before he found himself whizzing through the open doors of the building and suddenly, out into the open sea as Kagura let out a bellowing laugh. They began to ascend, further and further into the clouds, and Sougo tried not to think of how odd the sight of the unconscious bodies floating beside him would seem to poor passerby.

As the island shrunk from view and the wind began to howl, Kagura took it upon herself to wrap an arm around his shoulders and playfully (roughly) pat his back. She laughed again, flicked her wrist, and ignored her host's girlish shriek as they picked up speed.

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Sadist!"

"CHINA. I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T SLOW DOWN RIGHT NOW-"

"I really wonder who the actual sadist here is."

Never before had Sougo shut up so fast.

* * *

How'd you like it this chapter? Feedback would be wonderful ^^ More okikagu? Less okikagu? More fluff? Less sexual innuendos? Woo-hoo, final chapter is coming! I hope you all enjoyed so far! May the genie spirits bless your beautiful lives~

Until next time!


	4. Final Wish

The planets have finally lined up and for the first time in forever, I bring you the last installment of Always Wish for More Wishes.

* * *

Always Wish for More Wishes

Chapter 4

* * *

Sougo bit back a curse as he thrashed fruitlessly against the invisible binds holding him against the floor of his very own bedroom. Above him a voice snickered. Paused. Then a blood-curdling scream.

Kagura's blood-curdling scream.

"W-Wh-!"

"It is in your best interest not to resist, Okita Sougo." The looming figure of a masked spirit hovered over them. In its hand was a staff, pointed directly at Kagura. Rather, Kagura's left arm, which displayed her identification emblem as a Class 1 Wind Djinn; a beautifully engraved blade with gusts of wind swirling at its hilt emblazoned itself neatly on her bicep. Just minutes ago the vermilion haired genie had been in the midst of revealing the treasured mark to him, how she had gone through hell and back just to finish her training as a qualified djinn, how that rite of passage meant the world and then some to her.

How she would rather _die_ than give it up.

And here Sougo was, watching as the mark burned away at the will of a single spirit.

"L-Let me go-!" Sougo gritted between clenched teeth. His balled fists struck the ground as he tried to push up with his legs. Except, what were two measly legs when he bore the entire weight of her crushed heart on his shoulders?

The spirit's other hand had been facing his direction, the massive energy it used to hold both him and Kagura down registering even to the officer's completely human body. Resistance was, through and through, futile.

"Former Class 1 Wind Djinn Kagura has committed unspeakable crimes against the Spirit and Mortal World. Colossal ripples in the fabric of space and time have been detected. License will be revoked. Immediate execution will proceed, any trials will be overlooked." The tinny voice of the spirit rattled off an endless list of protocols, all of which Sougo had no interest paying attention to.

"No killing, no falling in love, no reviving from the dead," he protested. The spirit visibly tensed at being interrupted. Like Sougo actually gave two shits. His gaze surreptitiously roamed to Kagura again, who was clutching her arm in a desperate attempt to keep the emblem from disappearing altogether. Pain and anguish were at the forefront of her emotions, yet not a single speck of anger was reflected in those overly expressive, all too gleaming cerulean eyes.

The sight of it nearly broke his heart in two.

"That is irrelevant, Okita Sougo. Her foolish actions have uprooted the precarious balance between time and space. Your fourth and final wish will be negated. Be grateful, human, that we did not reset all of them." It flicked its wrist once. With a cry she collapsed face first onto the floor. The arm barring his view of her nonexistent mark fell limp as her body relaxed entirely. It hoisted her up and kept her suspended in mid air with not so much as another thought.

"On behalf of the Djinn Guardian Council and the Department of Inter-Worldly Security, Class 1 Wind Djinn Kagura has been deemed a dangerous threat. Under compliance with the Spirit World's Zero-Tolerance Policy, she will be terminated."

Its ominous words were by no means subliminal. Sougo felt something- anger, frustration, denial- surge through him like adrenaline, pumping through every pore in his body. Maybe if he was quick enough, if he caught the thing off guard-

A mind-numbing, incapacitating sting shot through his head. He released a low groan as trembling hands pressed against his aching temples. His mind blanked a total of three times.

"Stay put, human." The bastard had rendered him useless in mere seconds.

"You fucking... p-piece of shit...!"

When he found strength to look up again, only the wall glared back at him.

* * *

Okita Sougo enjoyed taking walks.

More than killing, more than annoying Hijikata, his dear sister had always taken him on walks when he was younger, and growing up the recurring habit had lingered, even after Mitsuba's passing.

Today was no exception. Chatter rang throughout the marketplace as people mingled and shopped. Sougo took it all in; he was in no rush, anyways. The useless lamp that started everything rested inconspicuously in his pocket, though the heavy metal felt as if it were about to rip open his coat any minute. Death was in his eyes.

Nearby vendors and the occasional homeless tried to catch his attention, and it wasn't too long before someone recognized him as _the_ Royal Guard and resident "Man Slayer" Okita Sougo. He didn't hear any of them. The man trudged on, ignoring the constant ebb and flow of civilians. Eventually, only the sound of his own footsteps broke the silence.

"You look like you're in need of a wish, Mr. Man Slayer."

Sougo's head snapped up. He had walked far enough for the crowd to have dissipated. Only destitute buildings surrounded him, the area being hardly ideal for a business. Somewhere to his right, a shadow receded back into the alley it came from.

"How 'bout it? I sell them for cheap, y'know," it spoke again, distinctly male. A fortune-teller, perhaps? Or a medium? "Sorry, I'm done dealing with the other-worldly." He kept his tone even and his suspicion at bay. No need for sudden movements, the guy could be a lunatic for all he knew.

"Let me reword this then: I'll grant you that final wish you were robbed of."

He was young. Young and strong and possibly a lunatic- the three worst combinations. Unnervingly familiar vermilion hair draped down his back in the form of a single braid. A blithe smile spilled from his lips.

"Yo, I'm Kamui. Freelance genie, at your service!"

Kamui exposed his torso, where a tattooed blade encased in flames blazed to life. Well, this was certainly a sudden turn of events.

In Sougo's favor, it seemed.

"I thought my fourth wish was negated?"

"Technically, it is," Kamui started. "But I'm offering you a service here, and all I need for payment is the answer to the question I'm about to ask you. I told ya' it was cheap." He didn't trust the guy one bit. But he didn't trust the Spirit World's higher-ups even more. And behind it all was still a burning desire to just... see Kagura. Sougo contemplated for a whole ten seconds; what more did he have to lose?

"... Fine, ask. But the moment something feels even remotely off-" Crimson eyes hardened.

"Of course!" The latter waved him off. "Then... if you're a human, and Kagura is a spirit, why do you love her?"

"I don't. I hate her fucking guts."

"Hmm?" Kamui didn't sound very convinced. A burning curiosity still flickered in deep, ocean blue eyes. They were so much like Kagura's, but at the same time so contrastingly different. Kagura's eyes embraced the world. Kamui's looked as if they were on the cusp of lighting the world on fire just to see what would happen. "Then why are you so desperate to get her back?"

A crooked smirk tilted Sougo's lips up, unnaturally so. "I just wanna see that idiot's face when my last wish has nothing to do with setting her free." Yes, that was it. The inner sadist was rampaging in him, that was all.

"So I'm guessing this wish I'm offering you is pointless anyways? Huh, what a shame." Kamui tapped his foot as he pondered for a bit. Sougo didn't know what was more surprising- that the former didn't so much as react to his answer or that the man could _actually_ pull off a serious thinking face.

"How about I offer you something else? An eye for an eye, as you interesting humans put it," he suggested. Sougo shrugged, "Whatever works." He wasn't picky. "Wait, I'm not gonna end up dead or mutilated or anything like that?"

"Well..."

The flaxen haired man turned on his heels. Kamui barked out a laugh before clapping him on the shoulder twice. "Too late for that, Mr. Man Slayer!"

* * *

Before Sougo knew it, he was situated in the middle of the Yorozuya's office. Kamui was perched innocently on their oak desk with a burlap sack swinging in his hands.

"Danna... you were-?"

"Sorry about not telling you, Sofa-kun. As human mediators between the Spirit and Mortal World, we're not supposed to openly reveal who we are unless the circumstance calls for. Kagura is a dear friend of Patsuan's sister here, and it is true she didn't break any wish-granting policies... so we figured, it was the least we could do." Gin shot a narrow-eyed look at the back of Kamui's head, to which the latter dutifully ignored.

"Well then, Mr. Man Slayer, here's my first and final service to you." He caught the sack thrown at him with ease; it was light, to his surprise. "Go on, open it."

Sougo did just that, and blanched when he pulled out an ornamented tube, a wrinkly scroll, and some foul-smelling vial he knew for sure going to have to ingest eventually. "And these are...?"

"Tools to help you when we send you to the Spirit World to rescue Kagura."

If Sougo wasn't putting up his nonchalant facade at the moment, he would have spluttered.

"Yup, yes siree, now if you take a look at the item in your left hand," he began to explain. Turned out, the tube contained, lo and behold, a carpet. That fucking flew. "Use it only at high altitudes. Please keep all limbs and any other body part inside at all times. And whatever you do, try to get it back in one piece. I borrowed it from my friend Aladdin, after all." Kamui stuffed the tube back into the bag and pointed at the scroll next.

It was a map. One just had to conjure an image of their destination, and the path would appear before their very eyes. "Handy, right?" He grinned, while swishing the contents of the vial back and forth. "And this, dearest Man Slayer, is a shape-shifting potion. I enchanted it myself." Sougo eyed it intensely.

"Just take something- a hair, a fingernail, an eyeball, whatever works, and drop it in to activate it. Simple right?" After a rundown of how the various items worked, as well as a forewarning that twenty minutes was the absolute max before they lost their effect, Kamui chanted a few lines at the same time a burning sensation pierced itself on the back of Sougo's hand. When he looked down, the mark of a brilliant blue sword met his eyes. "Identification," he clarified. "According to the Spirit World, you're a respected noble who just so happened to be attending a Class 1 Djinni's execution, got it?"

Kamui pointed a finger at the flaxen haired man. "Also, a word of advice: Keep socializing to a minimum, the tallest building is your answer, and watch out for a masked spirit." Before Sougo could question whatever the hell that meant he was already being pushed through a ripple in the nearby wall that was _supposed_ to be solid. Panic flared in his chest and spread all the way to his toes.

"Wait! You're not going-?!"

"Nope. Have fun." A cloak was tossed around his shoulders.

Gin's, Shinpachi's, and Kamui's grinning faces were the last things he saw before white suddenly enveloped his senses and a murky sensation slowed his body down. With startling clarity, Sougo noted that he was falling.

Quite literally, as the murkiness suddenly gave way to fast, unrelenting gravity and the white was only the scenic view of clouds whizzing by as he plummeted to his death from twenty thousand feet up in the air.

A warning would have been nice.

Immediately, or whenever his body unfroze and he managed to properly blink again, he yanked open the bag and fumbled for the tube. There was a rustling, flashes of gold and indigo, and then he was floating _gently_ to his death as time stood still and the beauty of the Spirit World in all its entirety spread before him in a single moment of rare brevity.

For the most part, it was like their own kingdom, with the exception of brighter, more luscious landscape and the occasional carpet-rider. Not to mention the looming waterfall just hovering _in the sky_ that hugged the vast expanse of civilization for miles to see.

A thumb subconsciously rubbed at the fake mark. Sougo's eyes roamed the picturesque scene of growing building tops, canopies, and splashes of glimmering, rainbow mist before they landed on a gigantic tower in the very center of the cluster, its shadow darkening everything within radius. It didn't take long before the prodigy within him managed to gain control over the carpet, and in a heartbeat had gotten close enough to scale the steel, gray walls with his hands.

No one paid him any attention as he swiftly landed in front of the shimmering entrance. In fact few nodded their heads at him as they caught sight of the glowing blade on his hand. Sougo opted to ignore them all and instead took purposeful strides up to the nonexistent door to pass right through-

And was met with an overwhelming myriad of bustling spirits, drones, and shipping docks as he entered the huge terminal.

Signs marking destinations morphed languages as he briskly walked past, none of them catching his attention. None except for one, located at the very end of the lobby, yet garnering the largest crowd. Certainly with reason too, as the blinking sign screaming "Execution in Place: Class 1" was far more interesting than anything else there. Kagura was the one behind that door.

Sougo broke into a run, and made it past halfway when something got caught under his foot and a weight toppled against his back. He had just tripped someone.

A hand shot out to grip his wrist as beady, black eyes bore into him from behind a familiar mask.

"You- Okita Sougo-"

The young officer managed to nick the side of its face with the edge of his drawn sword before it retaliated. For added emphasis he gripped the back of its head and planted the hardest headbutt he could manage around the same time an idea popped into his head. Quickly he yanked his hand back, satisfied when the sound of a small tear ripped between them.

Using the spirit's pause as momentum Sougo turned tail and sprinted toward the gate. Certainly, no sane mind would get in the way of some _lunatic_ waving his sword around, and so they had no choice but to steer clear lest getting stabbed was one of their top priorities that day.

He managed a feat of a couple meters when the floor shifted from beneath. Faces disappeared altogether as white blanketed his vision and the walls seemed to close in on him. Except, he noted, they actually were closing in on him. He stumbled, but only because the floor decided to sink underneath his left foot. The white faded soon enough, but in its wake was rotating walls, moving floor tiles, and the rare shadow darting past- the terminal had transformed into one hellish labyrinth right before his eyes.

And he had fallen right into its trap.

 _'I should have known the bastard was planning something...!'_ Sougo lamented as he dodged a shaft catapulted his way. Holes were forming wherever he stepped as he continued his desperate race to the end of a possibly endless maze. Countless times he nearly ran straight into a protruding wall. All the while a malicious gaze burned the back of his uniform and smoked the trail he left behind.

Sougo sliced a wall clean through, only to realize his mistake when air met the sliver where his foot was supposed to contact solid ground. It wasn't long before his legs gave out and he was free-falling through the darkness.

Again, a warning would have been nice.

His first instinct was to relax and maneuver himself upright. The wind howled past his ears as he counted to fifteen seconds, where some primal sixth sense kicked in to prepare for his landing. He rolled to lessen his fall, and was in the midst of brushing himself off when he reached two important epiphanies, subsequent to each other:

1\. It was pitch black.

2\. He had absolutely no idea where he was.

"What, is the minotaur going to show up next..."

Fortunately no half-man, half-bull love child chose to appear, but it still didn't relieve any of the frustration he felt toward the situation; there was a timer on Kagura's life, and Sougo was doing nothing but watch it dwindle away- that is, until a gleam in his peripheral mapped its way through the cloth of the burlap sack he carried.

With steady fingers he brushed aside the tube and vial, where the wrinkled scroll was unfurling itself. Lifted to the eye, it revealed a golden streak etched right in the middle. Then another, then three more, until the intricate detailing of weaving lines gradually glowed to life. A red dot pulsated gently at the beginning of the transcribed maze.

Like fragile glass, Sougo lifted the map higher, and took a step. Then another, then three more, until he was sprinting forward, to the left, to the right, around a curve. His shoulders brushed hard concrete enough times to know he was making progress, but the anxiety of having been robbed of his fifth sense slowly began to creep up on him every time he strayed from the wall only to grasp at silk nothing.

Eternity and then some passed before the flaxen haired man felt himself ascending with every slap of cold pavement. The papyrus was beginning to disintegrate in his hands, although the trail it left still burned a fiery red. Fortunately, white was his friend today, and with that came a growing sliver of it as Sougo pushed forward into the approaching entrance.

Noise and color were the first things that assaulted his noiseless, colorless world. In particular, a lot of booing, and a lot of purple.

As soon as his eyes regained their vision, the sight of thousands of bobbing heads and unfamiliar faces assaulted every corner of his view, as far as he could strain. They were in a huge, open stadium, and spirits donning all sorts of costly accessories and luxurious robes sauntered past as they gave their two cents- most in the form of sophisticated insults and jeers flying right over Sougo's head and towards the platform in the very middle.

Kagura's hunched figure sat at the center, where two spirits hovered over her shackled form with blades of glinting metal, death, and the blasé disinterest such an occupation entailed.

"Excuse me, sir..." Sougo started politely weaving his way through the crowd; aristocrats were not an ideal group to piss off, and any further altercation was wasting his precious minutes. An announcer was stationed a far ways away, but the booming voice that reverberated through the entire stadium at that moment was enough to shut up any and all chatter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today you will witness the execution of Class 1 Wind Djinni Kagura!" It began, as if the whole thing was just some entertaining game to people with nothing better to do. "I'll cut the formalities short..." After the briefest of explanations, the two guards raised their swords on cue. Cheers and laughter erupted from every corner, until Sougo was swimming and breathing in them. It was absolutely disgusting.

He wasn't going to make it.

Hastily, the desperate man yanked the remaining talisman out of his sack and watched as frothy bubbles swirled to the top of the cylindrical vial, only to disperse once he popped the lid and flicked the strands of hair he ripped from the masked spirit into the clear liquid. Unbelievably, something good actually came from their encounter.

Sougo downed the potion just as it turned an inky black. Nothing happened. At least, not until the cheers and shouts died down to a whisper, and he found himself staring at the bemused and apprehensive faces of nobles lusting for blood just seconds prior.

 _'Stay calm,'_ he chided, like a mantra as he willed his feet to traverse the distance between him and the stage, him and _Kagura._ Men and women alike parted at the sound of his echoing footsteps and the staff in his hand, the Red Sea of frightful spirits only boosting his confidence every inch of the way.

"U-um, eh, well then," the announcer stuttered as it- or he- came into view: A middle-aged, round dude with a robe too big and a height too short. The black curls atop his head brushed against the bladed insignia on his left temple as fidgeted in his spot. Sougo carried onwards.

"May I do the honors?" Even the voice sounded distant, foreign on his tongue.

He sensed it just as the words came out of his mouth; a pair of watchful eyes was stabbing him in the back, their growing presence immediately eliciting something primal in him.

He had been caught.

"Give me the sword," Sougo bit out. Of course, the sword was for the two guards poised over Kagura. He sneaked a peek at his ex-genie, and would have rolled his eyes at the defiant look she pointed his way if not for the urgency of the moment.

" _Now._ "

The warm hilt of the executioner's blade was all Sougo had time to relish in before it collided with the masked spirit's staff. Chaos immediately erupted- screams, hollers, and general panic- as an overwhelming amount of hooded figures popped out from the shadows and began circling in on the platform.

"Okita Sougo, you insolent human!" It started, just as the former felt his limbs go heavy from the gravity restraint holding him down. Luckily, as instincts, and partially Hijikata's overbearing nature dictated, he managed to knock the staff out of its hands and cut free a cuff before his knees collapsed.

"Serves you... right!" He forced out a smirk. Black faded from his peripheral and gave way to a dirty, sandy brown as a war cry came from his right and hurtled toward the looming spirit in the form of a quite annoyed, quite loud, and finally _liberated_ Kagura.

"HAHA, I'M BACK IN BUSINESS YOU FUCKER!" A foot contacted it square in the torso, followed by a chunk of the platform connected to the remaining cuff still hung loosely around Kagura's wrist. All around them the chanting of heavy footsteps and banging staffs quickly closed in.

"H-Hey, guys, why don't we talk about thi-" The announcer was the first to go, then the guards.

Sougo felt more than saw Kagura's limber form fending off the first wave of spirits. And her voice. Always her voice- that was the first thing he noticed about her, screaming and shouting with pure, unadulterated excitement.

With a start he leaped up and in one fluid motion sliced another incoming spirit.

"And you're welcome," Kagura rebutted. When he glanced back at her, she was waggling her fingers with one hand, the spirit's staff twirling in her other. The spell had been disenchanted.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" She ignored him, laughed a bit as she experimentally kicked a spirit in the head and in the process missing Sougo's lingering stare by a millisecond. They sidestepped two more, and was about to partake in the ass kicking of a lifetime-

If not for the sword that pierced Kagura in the chest.

Time stood still as the masked spirit's imposing figure radiated triumph and he slid the weapon out with practiced ease. It ticked again when she collapsed in a heap not a moment later, with a frantic Sougo immediately rushing to her side. He fended off a blow directed to her heaving form, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the slash to his shoulder as he felt another presence approach him from behind.

Then three more. Then five. Then ten, until the sharp tips of ruthless malignancy pointed at the back of his head and slithered across the expanse of his neck.

"Resistance is futile. Your foolishness ends now, Okita Sougo."

Sougo ignored the spirit in lieu of trying to halt the crimson flowing out of Kagura's wound. It stained his shirt and mingled with his own, until he couldn't take the intoxicating smell any longer. Her eyes were straining as she heaved a watery cough. Dull, cerulean irises flickered in place.

"Relax, China," he uttered, more to himself than her. A wince involuntarily wracked his body, and a glance down confirmed his suspicions when his gaze lingered on the three blades protruding from his torso. Kagura murmured a gurgled shout. Splotches of blood blossomed on her forehead, all the way to her pale cheekbones.

His blood.

"Quite interesting indeed." Sougo's sword had already clattered uselessly to the ground, so it was a surprise when he saw it being offered before him. Narrowed eyes followed the path of the hilt up to an attached arm, then a torso, and finally, a head of bright, vermilion hair.

"Kamui...?" Kagura spoke.

There was a different stillness now- a forced stopping of time as the world halted before them with the strength of Kamui's tremendous power. The masked spirit stood a ways off, perpetually frozen.

"So this is hate, huh?"

He looked oddly smug watching their lifeline pool before his feet. "Were you perhaps lying to me, Mr. Man Slayer?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sougo watched with increasingly bleary vision as Kamui knelt to their level and ruffled Kagura's hair almost affectionately. Keyword, _almost._ Still in awestruck bemusement, he then watched as he tapped her forearm and the workings of a rich, gleaming blue blade etched itself back on her skin.

"You're very intriguing, Mr. Man Slayer. That was quite the show." Kamui looked behind his shoulder before his eyes narrowed into slits and his mouth curved into its signature smile. "And as for that thing, I'll be recycling it soon anyways," he pointed to the spirit, then to the announcer fallen a ways off the platform. "You see that guy over there? He's part of the organization trying to overtake me. I just found out the members of my council were the ones responsible for the execution of this dumb sister of mine," he breathed, growing increasingly annoyed with each sentence.

"Greedy, sanctimonious bastards, they are..." Kamui muttered, and then suddenly clapped. The smile reappeared on his face. "So I'll give you a refund!"

"That's bullshit-" Kagura interrupted.

"Does that mean I get my last wish back?"

"Mhm! The whole shbang! I'll even heal you and send you on your merry way, courtesy of the generous Spirit King I am!"

Somehow, Sougo wasn't surprised.

The flaxen haired officer looked at Kagura; her mouth was agape and she was on the brink of protesting- even towards the Spirit King (granted, he was her brother) she was defiant and stubborn.

"I know what I want then."

"No you don't. Wait, what's happening?! Kamui, you bastard, I swear if this is revenge for that time I accidentally stepped on Mr. Foofy-!"

Sougo ignored the pain in his abdomen as he looped an arm around Kagura's shoulders. A lopsided grin, albeit genuine, wound its way onto his lips and spread all the way to his toes.

"I wish that this China monster would have the freedom to live the way she wants."

She stopped mid sentence, bemusement reflecting in those indelibly expressive ocean eyes as a silent question lingered between the space where her lips parted. Why?

"Hmm, in accordance with genie-wishing protocol, the owner must wish something in favor of the djinni, after all," Kamui mused. "Interesting. Are you perhaps implying that this no good, weakling sister of mine will have the power to grant as many wishes as she pleases with no regard to the existing rules, is exempt from the will of an owner, and can live and die as she pleases? To even be on par with the Spirit King himself?"

Sougo met Kamui's square gaze with a fervor he didn't know he was capable of feeling. Subconsciously his arm tightened around Kagura's shoulders.

"Very well." He laughed, braid carelessly bobbing up and down. "Your wish is my command, human. One freedom, coming right up!"

"Wait, Kamui!"

He waggled his fingers. The last thing Sougo saw before a white flash of light robbed him of his vision and conscience again was the annoyed disapproval clearly written on Kagura's face.

* * *

Okita Sougo sluggishly made his way up the steps to the Yorozuya residence. When the young officer came to, the first thought that invaded his mind was how eerily normal everything seemed. Like there wasn't supposed to be a bright-haired, blue-eyed genie floating in his room. Or in most cases, plotting ways to kill him.

But then the vague recollections that escaped him had come flooding back, and the man was left with a sense of, dare he say, loneliness at the suddenly empty room. Not even a single battle scar as proof that what had transpired wasn't just a dream after all.

He found himself glancing up at the marmalade sky for the nth time in the hour, burlap sack swinging precariously with every flick of his wrist. Sougo wasn't one to get sappy, but he mentally noted how the setting sun was the perfect end to his setting adventure. He sighed.

"Danna, are you there?" The door slammed open with a snick. Gin's perpetually mussed hair was first to fill his peripheral, then the dead fish eyes. "I wanted to say thanks, and that I won't be needing this anymore." The contents of the bag rattled with every shake.

"Keep it and get out, Sofa."

"Um... excuse me?" Gin's eyes flickered in alarm as he glanced behind him, and subtly tried to slide the door closed. Right now's not a good _time_ ," he stressed. A high-pitched lilt tacked on to the end of the rushed sentence.

"Danna, this won't take lo-"

"SURPRISE BITCH!"

Sougo expected a slap, or a punch, even a kick. Just not the entire fucking screen door and an unsuspecting Gin as the two were hurled straight at his face.

His head hit the railing with a sickening 'thump'. Retorts, ninety percent obscenities and ten percent death threats spewed from his mouth, though they soon died off when a weight settled atop his chest.

Angry cerulean eyes glared down at him.

"Missed me so soon, China?"

"Don't play with me," she spat. "Of all people, you got Kamui to grant your last wish? That good-for-nothing loser?"

"Who else was I supposed to ask? The one person who got herself locked up and was about to get beheaded?" Blood pumped through his veins as the familiar conflagration of an upcoming fight blazed to life. Ah, how he missed bantering with a certain hot-blooded genie.

Kagura clicked her tongue. "Is that a challenge, Sadist?" She lifted Sougo up by the collar. "I've got free reign over my powers now. I could punch you to the Spirit World and back if I wanted to."

"But you won't. Because you love me." It surely must have been the pent up frustration, he thought. Kamui's question momentarily flickered to the forefront his brain. _'Damn it, that guy was a lunatic after all,'_ Sougo cursed his luck, before he planted a quick peck to Kagura's lips.

A hand wound its way to the back of her neck and pulled her face close. "Technically, _you_ still haven't granted my final wish yet," he breathed

She froze. And then her entire face lit a crimson, burning hue.

"W-W-Wha-nh-"

Sougo had the audacity to smirk. "Sadist: One, China: Zero."

"... HOW DARE YOU ROB ME OF MY PURITY, SCUM OF THE EARTH." She punched him anyways.

Gin came to, the sight of Sougo's unconscious form barely registering as the words came tumbling out of his mouth. He whistled, and mock-waggled his fingers. "One marriage, coming right up."

There was instant regret.

"Patsuan, patsuan... Patsuan, she's coming! G-Get the carpet, get the carpe- PATSUA-NGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

Usually I would just end the story there, but I figured all of you who actually read and look forward to my stories should get a little bit more information, seeing as I haven't updated since like 1875, and for the very last chapter no less. I have school to blame, nuff said... Originally I had something else in mind for the plot, but that ended up not working and so I had to start fresh. Hence the reason for it being **MORE** delayed than usual...

If anyone still reads this story, thank you for the patience you've had to put up with! Even though I don't reply to all of your reviews (although I'm trying to fix that now) I **DO** read them and it always makes my day ^^ If you have any feedback (granted, this isn't as big of a story as my other usually multichaptered ones) please feel free to leave a comment! How did you like it? Did you even like it? How was Kamui? Figured the guy deserves some love after chapter 577 DD: For some reason I wanted to make this particular chapter extra serious...

I am terribly sorry. I'll give you 300 yen... Until next time!


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